T.J.I.F.A.
THANK JESUS IT’S FRIDAY AGAIN!
PASS IT ON…& ON…& ON…& ON.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
SUBJECT: “DAVID”
GOD SAID OF DAVID, THAT HE WAS A MAN AFTER HIS OWN HEART. HOW DO YOU THINK DAVID ACQUIRED THAT REPUTATION WITH GOD? WAS IT HIS GOOD LOOKS, OR MAYBE HIS WEALTH, OR POSSIBLY HIS CHARM? DAVID’S REPUTATION BROUGHT HIM PERSECUTION FROM THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE LAND…KING SAUL.
NOTEWORTHY: A CUP OF COFFEE
TJIFA’S BOOK SHELF: GET ON THE BIBLE BUS AT 1&2 SAMUEL.
QUOTABLE QUOTES: A SEPTEMBER PRAYER.
REVELATION: ABIGAIL – DAVID’S HEART.
FYI: THE COST OF CREMATION.
FRIDAY’S WORD: SAMUEL (THE LAST JUDGE AND FIRST PROPHET)
IN THE MIRROR: A MOTHER, AND A FATHER SPEAKS OF A “PAIN SO DEEP NO ONE CAN TOUCH IT.”
O TASTE AND SEE! BREANNA’S COOKIES FROM PIE CRUST.
LOOKING FORWARD
SEE YA NEXT TIME!
TER & STAFF (WE’RE GROWING!)
David
1st Samuel 21:8-9 And “David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste. 9And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.”
David, was a man after GOD’S own heart, (Acts 13:22,23);
22”And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. 23Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus:”
The first time that we see David is in 1 Samuel. David is tending the sheep for his father, Jesse. Samuel was intent on anointing the next king of Israel; and David was the man chosen by GOD.
David spent many long days in the field with the sheep. He had learned to fight off, ‘would be’ attackers of his sheep, and dispel the long lonely hours by coming into relationship with Almighty GOD.
David had learned the cunning and skill of protecting his sheep with a sling and a smooth stone. (A smooth object flies through the air faster and maintains its strength; where as a rough stone doesn’t sail as fast; it picks up weight and is slowed down…therefore its efficiency is depleted.) David understood the mechanics of the difference between a smooth and rough stone, simply because of the time that he spent in the wilderness ALONE with GOD.
David’s understanding, fearlessness, and his faith would be brought to the test in clear view of the armies of Israel and the Philistines.
Will you allow your faith to be tried and tested in the public domain?
As David took on the enormity of the world system (Goliath the giant), Saul, Satan’s man, looked on in disbelief. Saul knew that he had no relationship with the True and Living GOD therefore he tried to hide his shame, by covering up this young boy. In pretense he clad him with the king’s armor. (That would show everyone that he cared for this young boy who was going to get killed by the giant; OR IF BY CHANCE THE YOUNG BOY SHOULD WIN, THEN HE WOULD BRING GLORY TO THE KING BECAUSE HE WORE THE KING’S ARMOR. Remember that David was king Saul’s armor bearer, 1Samuel 16:21).
But GOD and David were in covenant relationship. Neither Goliath nor Saul was in covenant with Creator GOD.
Never try to bring down the world’s system or do battle with Satan without the One Who Has Never Lost a Battle…JESUS.
David was a confident young shepherd with skill, cunning and grace. After his victory over Goliath and his musical skills were acknowledged, his home became the castle of Saul. (Saul took him and would let him go no more to his father’s house. 1Samuel 18:2.) He ate at the king’s table, and probably gained other skills in handling the weapons of the king; like the bow and the sword.
The favor and the Grace of GOD were probable cause for the king, Saul, to reject David and desire David’s destruction. As a result, David was on the run when we find him visiting the Priest, looking for a sword, (1Samuel21:8&9). Had David lost his skill with the sling and smooth stones? There were plenty of stones under foot. He would have had a greater range with a sling, than a sword. (Just something to think about.)
In your life, GOD has given you a skill, unmatched by any other; but a skill must be practiced and used or else it will loose its cleverness. Becoming comfortable with another’s instruments has its prominence, but maintaining your own to perfection is faithful.
GOD has given us His Word, the two-edged Sword, and we are to practice it, and continue in it until our skill is perfected. If we live the good life without weapons for too long, our cunning will not be fit in the battle. The Bible doesn’t say that David COULDN’T use a sling but he didn’t look for one in his time of trouble. He was looking for a sword. (Remember that only King Saul and Jonathan had a sword in that time period, (1st Sam.13:22).
So, who are you running from and for what are you looking? GOD has said that the battle is His, and all the ammunition that David needed was under his feet; but his skill for picking smooth stones may have rusted. Readers, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. While the world seeks weapons of mass destruction…pick up a few smooth stones.
Looking Forward
See Ya Next Time!
TER
NOTEWORTHY: A CUP OF COFFEE
This is your cup of coffee, the way that you like it, the way that you enjoy it, the time of day that you take pleasure in it, and the circumstances which call for a cup of, “Just Right Coffee.”
Ingredients:
Coffee (your choice)
Creamer (your choice)
Sweetener (your choice)
Cup and saucer (your choice)
You can smell the coffee perking, and you know just how it will taste. You can’t wait, and when you taste it…it’s a little bitter; it has too much coffee.
The second cup: you cut back on the coffee, and now…it’s too little creamer, but the coffee is not bitter…you pour it out, because it’s not quite right.
The third cup: You’re looking forward to this cup; because you know that this is the one…but it is so sweet that it nauseates you, so you pour it out.
The fourth cup: You have all confidence that this is the cup you’ve been looking and tasting for…but the water wasn’t hot enough, and the mellow flavor that you normally enjoy isn’t present.
The fifth cup: Looking back, you seem to have forgotten the right combination to produce that perfect cup of coffee …but that doesn’t stop you from going into the kitchen and putting the ingredients together again. Today, you’re so tired, that you feel that just anything will do…but you recognize watered down destruction of your perfect cup of coffee.
The sixth cup: The coffee is ready, all ingredients are present…but where is MY CUP? Searching for your special cup, the coffee becomes cold, so you settle for a smaller version of your real coffee cup…but you can’t get the necessary ingredients in the right proportion. So you dump, yet another cup of coffee.
The seventh cup: You just need something hot today. Quickly you make your coffee, not caring about the exact ingredients, just putting them together. You sip the hot fragrant cup of perfect java…but you don’t realize its screaming perfection until you’re standing over the sink preparing to pour it out, as you’ve done so many times before…but you stop, with the third of a cup of perfection dangling over the sink. You sit down, and place the cup squarely into the saucer. You must extend the pleasure of this cup of coffee as long as you possibly can. His mercies are renewed every day, and He never gives up on you. He looks forward to you leaning and depending on Him, so that He can direct your paths, deliver you, and show you His Salvation.
Looking at the bottom of the cup you understand the grace and the mercy of GOD, who never gives up on you.
Verbal encouragement from my daughter –TDMJ.
TJIFA’S BOOK SHELF:
THE HOLY BIBLE
Are many of you on the ‘Bible Bus’ with Dr. J. Vernon McGhee? If so, the Bible Bus is now studying the books of first and second Samuel. The Bible Bus is going through the Bible in five years, and the theology is just right for people like you and me. He is very clear in his explanations, and his historical comments are worth every minute of the broadcast.
There you will find his notes, which are downloadable, and you may buy his whole Bible Bus trip on MP3 recording.
Readers, this is wonderful to get structured reading and instruction from a tried and true resource.
Book of the Month: “First and Second Samuel,” by Dr. J. Vernon McGhee.
I have found this small soft backed book to be a pronounced help in going through the double books of Samuel. The cost of this book, until October 15, 2007 is $3.00, when you call 1 800 65 BIBLE.
The double books of Samuel are named after the last judge and first true prophet of Israel. The first prophet anointed the first kings of Israel, Saul, who was rejected because of his rebellion and disobedience; and David who was a man after GOD’S own heart.
These books are worthy of your digging deep, and studying. The second book of Samuel is solely about the life of David, as his life parallels that of the Church.
Readers, our growth is dependant on the amount of sun, water and food we place in the good ground of our understanding. Let us not despise the work of sowing, for the fruit of the harvest is good, bountiful and we’ll be able to feed many.
TER
A Bible Fact:
A theme of Scripture often overlooked is what the Bible promises to do for God’s people. The Word, under various synonyms, is said in Psa. 19:7, 8 to convert the soul, make wise the simple, rejoice the heart, and enlighten the eyes. These great rewards are given to all who keep the precepts of Scripture, v. 11.
Allow the mind God has given you to become saturated with His Word!
QUOTABLE QUOTES: “SEPTEMBER PRAYER”
A PRAYER FOR SEPTEMBER
Cooler nights and crisper days,
That’s what autumn brings.
As golden leaves crunch beneath our footsteps,
Holy GOD, remind us
that this is a time for letting go.
Help us drop our grudges, hurts
and sorrows as the lordly maple
drops its flaming leaves.
Bless us as we shed that which is no longer
Needed.
From: Guide Posts Daily Planner 2007 Submitted by BMcC
REVELATION?
ABIGAIL (ab' ih gayihl) Personal name meaning, “my father rejoiced.” 1. wife of David after being wife of Nabal. She was praised for wisdom in contrast to Nabal, her arrogant and overbearing husband, who was a large landowner and successful shepherd. Nabal held a feast for his sheep shearers while David was hiding from Saul in the wilderness of Paran. David and his six hundred men were camped near the town of Maon. He heard about Nabal’s feast and requested some food. Nabal, in a drunken state, refused the request and insulted David’s ten messengers. In anger, David determined to kill all of Nabal’s household. Abigail anticipated David’s reaction and loaded a convoy of donkeys with food to feed all of David’s men. As soon as she met David, she impressed him with her beauty, humility, praise, and advice (1 Sam. 25:32-33). After Nabal became sober and heard about David’s plans to kill him, he had a heart attack. Following Nabal’s death, David married Abigail, the second of his eight wives. They lived first at Gath and then at Hebron, where Abigail gave birth to Chileab, who is also called Daniel. Later, Abigail was taken captive by the Amalekites when they captured Ziklag, but David rescued her (1 Samuel 30:1-18). 2. Sister of David and the mother of Amasa (1 Chron. 2:16-17), married to Jether, an Ishmaelite (also called Ithra). Amasa, her son, was at one time the commander of David’s army (2 Sam. 17:25). Abigail was the daughter of Nahash who, because of textual uncertainties has been described as (1) another name for Jesse; (2) the wife of Jesse; and (3) the father of Abigail and Zeruiah, who died and whose widow became a wife of Jesse. See David.
Donald R. Potts
Holman’s Bible Dictionary
FYI: CONSIDERING CREMATION:
Readers, TJIFA is not endorsing cremation, or traditional funeral arrangements, nor are we advertising for the company from whom we have acquired the following information. We are simply passing along the valued information regarding the price of, “Resting in Peace.”
1st Samuel 20:3 And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.”
“Today, more and more people are planning their funerals. No one wants to be a burden in death, any more than he wishes to be in life. The days after a loved one’s passing should be reserved for grieving and remembering, not for haggling with a sales person. Truth be told, planning one’s own funeral is one of the most loving things that an individual can do for the ones that he or she cares about.
The consequences of not planning your own funeral can have more than an emotional impact on your loved ones—it could have a financial one as well.
Lesser quality funeral homes have been known to up-sell the grieving family members into purchasing incredibly expensive caskets. Add to it that most funeral homes mark up the wholesale prices of their caskets about 600% and it’s easy to see how funeral expenses add up.
Cremation Specialists in our network charge:
For simple cremation (without ceremony)
Includes transportation from place of death;
Administrative and staff services;
Refrigeration; cremation container;
Cremation and filing of death certificate;
Approximately $795.00 (These prices are subject to individual circumstances.)
Charges for Cremation (with a memorial service).
This package includes: transportation services from place of death; (25 mile area).
Refrigeration; Cremation container;
Filing of Death certificate; Memorial Services (either your church or funeral Chapel)
Cost: $965.00 (This is an approximation; depending on circumstances.)
The complete Funeral with rented oak casket and visitation period for family and friends…
Costs: $2,495.00 (estimated) Complete Funeral professional and administrative duties of funeral staff and visitation of the family’s Church or cemetery chapel; casket and cemetery vault may be purchased from anywhere you choose.
Cost: $2795.00.
For more information about pre-planning your Funeral please feel free to call:
1-800-318-8707 or; Browse: funeral
depot.com.
Submitted by: WMcK
FRIDAY’S WORD: SAMUEL SAMUEL (sa' mew ehl) Personal name in the Ancient Near East meaning, “Sumu is God” but understood in Israel as “The name is God,” “God is exalted,” or “son of God.” The last judge, first king-maker, priest, and prophet who linked the period of the judges with the monarchy (about 1066-1000 B.C.). Born in answer to barren Hannah’s tearful prayer (1 Sam. 1:10), Samuel was dedicated to the Lord before his birth (1:11) as a “loan” for all his life (1:28; 2:20). Eli raised Samuel at the Shiloh sanctuary (1 Sam. 2:11). As a child, Samuel grew “both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men” (1 Sam. 2:26 NASB; compare Luke 2:52). Samuel met God and received his first prophetic mission as a young lad (1 Sam. 3:1, 11-14). God’s initial word to Samuel concerned God’s rejection of Eli’s family from service as priests as punishment for the sins of Eli’s sons.
Samuel was responsible for a revival of the Shiloh sanctuary (1 Sam. 3:21). Psalm 99:6-7 relates that God spoke with Samuel from out of the pillar of cloud as God had previously with Moses and Aaron. God “was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Sam. 3:19; also 9:6). Jeremiah regarded Samuel and Moses as the two great intercessors of Israel (Jer. 15:1).
Following the death of Eli and his sons, Israel experienced twenty years (1 Sam. 7:2) of national sin and Philistine oppression. Samuel reemerged in the role of judge, calling Israel to repentance and delivering them from foreign domination. Samuel also exercised the judicial role of judge, administering justice at Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, and Ramah (1 Sam. 7:15-17).
Samuel served as the prototype for future prophets in tension with the kings of Israel and Judah. The sins of Samuel’s sons and the Philistine threat led the elders of Israel to appeal to Samuel for a king “like all the nations” (1 Sam. 8:3, 5, 20). Samuel rightly understood this call for a king as rejection of God’s rule (1 Sam. 8:7; 10:19). Samuel warned Israel of the dangers of a monarchy—forced labor, seizure of property, taxation (1 Sam. 8:10-18)—before anointing Saul as Israel’s first king (1 Sam. 10:1). Samuel’s recording of the rights and duties of kingship (1 Sam. 10:25) set the stage for later prophets to call their monarchs to task for disobedience to God’s commands and for overstepping God’s limits for kingship in Israel. Samuel foreshadowed Elijah in his call for rain during the wheat harvest, the usual dry season, as vindication of his word of judgment concerning Israel’s demand for a king (1 Sam. 12:17-18).
Samuel’s relations with Saul highlight the conditional nature of kingship in Israel. Israel’s king was designated by God and served at God’s pleasure. Saul’s presumption in offering burnt sacrifice before battle with the Philistines (1 Sam. 13:8-15) and his disregard of God’s command to leave no survivors among the Amalekites or their flocks (1 Sam. 15) occasioned Samuel’s declaration of God’s rejection of Saul’s kingship. Obeying God’s call to anoint another king amounted to treason in Saul’s eyes, and Samuel had concerns for his life.
Samuel was, however, obedient in anointing David as king over Israel (1 Sam. 16:13). Later when Saul sought David’s life, David took refuge with Samuel and his band of prophets at Ramah (1 Sam. 19:18-24). Finally, Samuel’s death brought national mourning (1 Sam. 25:1; 28:3). It also left Saul without access to God’s word. In desperation he acknowledged Samuel’s power and influence by seeking to commune with Samuel’s spirit (1 Sam. 28). Thus in life and death Samuel cast a long shadow over Israel’s history of worship, rule, prophecy, and justice.
Chris Church
Holman’s Bible Dictionary
IN THE MIRROR:This article is found in September’s ‘decision’ Magazine, 2007
A PUBLICATION OF THE BILLY GRAHAM EVANGELISTIC ASSOCIATION
“WHEN THE PRODIGAL DOESN’T RETURN” by John Smith
“That is a pain so deep no one can touch it,” my friend Em said. A half-century ago she spoke to me of her son, and I know what she felt. It’s been 30 years since my beloved son Jim and I have spoken freely of spiritual things. It was his senior year at a prestigious Christian college, and we had gone for a few days to a log cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There were questions about the faith, a faith he had embraced at his mother’s knee.
He was just a little guy then, yet his profession of faith seemed real and, despite occasional teenage time-outs, he tried to live it. But now there were questions. Still, no hint of what was soon to come.
After college graduation Jim confided in his older brother, “It worked for you guys, but it never worked for me. For dad’s sake, I’ve tried and tried, but it’s no use. I’m opting for atheism.” And so it has been. A splendid husband and father; a loving, generous son and brother. But no God in his life.
The haunting question is, “Where did I fail?” Sometimes I have sought another cause. Was it the college professor he so admired, the one who took exception to much of what the school stood for? I puzzled about that for years.
One day I heard a famous radio preacher say, “All my children follow the Lord, and if you do what I tell you in the next 10 minutes , so will yours.”
Yeah, right— too bad he didn’t clue God in on the secret, I thought. God had two children, Adam and Eve, with a perfect heredity and paradise for an environment, and they both blew it. Was God the ultimate parental failure? No. Each person is responsible for his or her own choices, the prophet reminds us in Ezekiel 33. At the final judgement no one will be able to plead, “Go after my parents, they’re to blame.”
But doesn’t the Bible say, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it”?(Proverbs 22:6). Isn’t that a promise in the Bible?” No. It’s a proverb in the Bible, just like, “A man who excel in his work . . .will stand before kings” (Proverbs 22:29). Yes, that often happens, but it’s no promise, no guarantee. I knew that, but I still felt guilt.
I failed in many ways— and how I have grieved. But I’m forgiven, and in that I rest. Some children blame their parents for their departure from the faith, but Jim never blamed me. No, my greatest pain is not guilt but apprehension over Jim’s final outcome. Do I run for comfort to the promise, “And I’ll give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My Hand”?(John 10:28). Or do I agonize over the statement, “Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him”?(1 John 3:6). I’ve given up on solving the theological mystery. God knows. And “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”(Genesis 18:25).
So what do I do? I remember that as my children enter adulthood, I’m responsible to them but no longer for them. Once they’re grown, my responsibility is to love them and pray for them. How do I pray? I can’t ask God to force Jim into the Kingdom— God has clearly said He won’t do that. But I pray almost daily that the Holy Spirit will not give up on my Jim. He does give up on people, we read (Psalm 51:11 and Isaiah 63:10). So I pray that He who was sent to convict of sin and righteousness and judgment to come will not give up yet, but that He will do His work. Just one more day.”
JOHN SMITH IS A PSEUDONYM FOR A CHRISTIAN LEADER IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES.
ALL SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS ARE TAKEN BY PERMISSION FROM THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW KING JAMES VERSION.
After copying this article, and struggling over the thought of being found repetitious in my communication with you, I received an e-mail that touched my heart to tears and told me I am doing the right thing, and saying the right thing when I follow the Heart of God. At this time I would like to thank you R.C.for your words, and Yes, I have been praying.
Let me try and explain. ‘John Smith’ is writing about something that affects what I believe, thousands upon thousands of people when there is Love involved. If you understand the depth of Love, you are already with me. If you are yet to experience it, please read on with an open heart, and an open mind.
John Smith uses a “pseudonym,” (assumed name, or alias) for himself and respects Em’s confidentiality because of the hurt and sensitivity of the matter. On the surface, you may want to say, “Well isn’t it just about religion and religious choices? Doesn’t a person, child or adult have their own right to chose whether they want to be an atheist or a Christian?”Yes, and it wouldn’t make a ‘hill-of-beans’ different— IF— the Word of God were not true.
You wonder why there are the ‘John Smiths’, and the SLC’s (and put your initials in there also if you relate to this artical,) it’s because God hurt first when He saw all the suffering mankind would have to endure because of the sin nature, and the helplessness, in which we entered this world, but He made the Cross possible for you and me. He reached out to us because we are His children, and it is due to HIS SPIRIT which dwells within us that we reach out and cry for, not only our own children, but for anyone and everyone that needs to recognize this truth.
The Bible says, “ . . .we are made after the similitude of God”(James 3:9b). Not only that, but what do you think about how Peter describes us in 1st Peter 2:9,10. God has a picture on the inside of everything He has ever created including you and I. Every living soul that has been Born Again knows this, has believed it, and have divorced themselves from this world’s system to receive God’s mercies (Romans 12:1,2).
Please trust me to say this, and this is just for added perspective. I’ve heard a lot of people and a lot of things said that is purported as the “Gospel of Jesus Christ.” There seems to be little, to no fear in many of our ‘Christian Leaders’ today. It’s getting more and more popular NOT to talk about Salvation, and Eternal Life through the Blood of Jesus Christ. I hear more about “Getting,” than I do “Giving.”When someone talks to you of just being, “positive,” are they referring to being ‘positive’ about what you can do, or about being ‘positive’ about the life you now live as a direct result of JESUS living His Life within you to carry out and accomplish that which you are incapable of doing apart from the work of the Holy Spirit?
My heart went out to Jim as I wondered if he were just another victim of today’s modernistic theological teachings that still want to portray the idea that, “It’s really about me being a good person, and as long as I’m better than ----- then God will accept me!” It may sound good, but it simply is not true. I want to agree with ‘John Smith’ in closing; “I pray that He who was sent to convict of sin and righteousness and judgement to come will not give up yet, but that He will do His work. Just one more day.” Thanks again, ‘R.C. God Bless, SLC
O TASTE AND SEE!
BREANNA’S SUGAR COOKIES
INGREDIENTS:
1 PACKAGE OF JIFFY PIE CRUST MIX
½ CUP OF POURED SUGAR
2 TEASPOONS SOUR CREAM OR MILK
1 EGG
1 TEASPOON VANILLA
1 ½ TEASPOON ALMOND EXTRACT
DIRECTIONS:
PREHEAT OVEN 350 DEGREES F
IN LARGE BOWL BLEND ALL INGREDIENTS
CHILL FOR 1 HOUR
ON LIGHTLY FLOURED SURFACE ROLL 1/8 INCH THICK
CUT INTO DESIRED SHAPES WITH CUTTER
PLACE ON UNGREASED COOKIE SHEET
BAKE 8-10 MINUTES OR UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN
COOL AND FROST IF DESIRED
THESE COOKIES SURE ARE GOOD. JUST RIGHT AFTER A HARD DAY AT SCHOOL.
THANKS BREANNA , SWEET&SIMPLE